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| Comesso Crown Copyright The Royal Collection Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II |
Made between 1550 and 1560, this French comesso pendant of gold, amethyst, carnelian, Burmese ruby, garnet, and Colombian emerald was acquired by Caroline, Queen, consort of George II, King of Great Britain (1683-1737).
The first official mention of the jewel in the Royal Collection is shown as being recorded in 1755, and describes the piece as a “bust with a cap set wth jewells one out the shoulders amethest the plate gold.” It is said to have been located at the time in “the seventh drawer of a cabinet at Kensington Palace.”
The female bust is rendered in low relief, in profile to the right. Her head is made of carnelian and her long curly hair is a mass of chased gold. Amethyst forms her tunic which is fastened with a brooch over her right shoulder. A gold, feathered turban set with a ruby, two garnets and an emerald graces her head. A punched gold background with a corded gold wire rim sets off the figure. A fleur-de-lis adorns the bale.
The reverse of the pendant is decorated with a cartouche of strapwork in translucent dark blue, red and green enamel.
The pendant is one of a group of commessi which has been attributed to a French workshop at the court of Henry II. In this sense, the term “Commesso” refers to a pendant or badge in which a cameo or fragment of a cameo is combined with gold to form a head, figure or scene.
The cameo used here is an Italian piece dating to the Sixteenth Century--possibly the profile of the Lydian queen, Omphale.
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| Crown Copyright The Royal Collection |
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